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Patna Sahib: Birth of a Guru

It’s not every day that you get to visit the place where a guru is born. Though, most of us shy away from the state of Bihar, it is a cultural and historical belt in the country. And it’s also here that the 10th guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22,1666.

While watching singer Daler Mehndi share his life on Comedy Nights with Kapil, I was amazed to know that his father had been a ragi at Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib. Mehndi had also sung shabads there, until he decided to make a shift to commercial music. And my mind flew back to my visit to Patna Sahib.

Unlike the group of Sikhs I was travelling with, I did not know the significance of the Takat Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib. Takht is a seat of power. Expected because even till then, I did not do enough research on the place where I was going. This is something I have learned over the years, that a little knowledge about the land, the culture and the food is a great way to begin your trip. Once, the basics are in place, then you can learn and add more, or even subtract with local flavours, depending on what’s on offer in reality.